


We are wounded

by DiaryOfJane



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Brotherly Love, F/M, Perhaps I'll add another chapter, Permanent Injury, Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-08-09 06:35:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7790653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiaryOfJane/pseuds/DiaryOfJane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"We're fucked, Robb..."</p>
<p>Based on a true story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We are wounded

 

 

"You know that girl I told you about the other day. Ygritte."

_Blink._

"Gonna see her later." Jon added and traced the rim of his cup with his index finger

Slowly Robbs left eyebrow made its way up and he looked at his brother for a moment with an unmistakeable flash in his eye before returning his attention to the screen in front of him.

_You like her?_ Appeared on the smaller one facing in Jons direction a moment later.

Jon inspected the white lid on the cup for a moment longer before he nodded slowly with a reluctant smile playing around his lips “I think so.”

Robb beamed at him an although none of his facial muscles would oblige him it was as if the brightest smile spread on his face. Melancholy tucked at Jons heart when he remembered Robbs true smiles which could light up a whole room and how he would never see them again. Now his features were frozen in a look of blakness most of the time if they weren't caught in involuntary contractions. It had scared the shit out of Jon in the beginning but given enough time one can get used to everything. 

_ What is she like? _

The black letters and his brothers inquiring look stopped his train of thought and Jon looked up abruptly 

“Well,” the dreamy look played around his features again “she's beautiful. She's got red hair, but not like Sansas, it's the brightest red I've ever seen and it's just...everything about her is bright.”

After he'd finsihed his sentence Jon suddenly realised that he'd accidently dropped their sisters name. 

Given that their family had reduced their visits to about once every two to three months, claiming that they were 'busy' and the last time they had talked about this thick tears had spilled from Robbs eyes he tried to avoide the topic. Jon had carefully wiped them away which had only caused more to fall freely on his brothers pale cheeks and Jon had felt his barely contained rage on their family bubble to the surface again. While all the other Starks chose to abandon Robb in a nursing home, albeit a rather nice one, but still a fucking nursing home without anything personal or homely about it, Jon came to visit as often as his schedule would allow. Three, sometimes four times a week he would just sit with his brother, laptop open and working on an article, they would talk or try to solve the tricky crossword with the radio on in the backround to bring at least a sense of normality back in Robbs life. 

Not that Jons life was back to normal again either, but he'd decided that he'd rather spent his hours working towards it with his brother. Although he reckoned that their family still thought he felt obliged to do this, Catelyn hadn't hesitated to tell him numerous times, he did not. Coming to see Robb helped him to stay grounded as well, they had been inseparable when they were children and never drifted apart as adults like siblings often do and it seemed they had decided not to do that now either after fate had decided to fuck them over. 

The wrong place at the wrong time had been enough to irreversibly change everything. To Jon it would seem like the most fucked up way of irony that the car slamming into the passenger side door had broken almost every bone in his left side but left Robb seemingly unscathed apart from a nasty gash on the side of his head. 

Days after that when when he'd finally been able to stay awake for longer than ten minutes he'd inquired about Robbs condition, Catelyns face had faltered and her voice shook. Traumatic brain injury. Well fuck.

The second bomb dropped weeks later when Jon had already been in rehab and wondering about if one could die of frustration. Catelyns visitis were rare so it already dawned on Jon that something must have happened, and by the look on her face it wasn't good. He tried his best not to look too pathetic when she sat down across from him and took a deep breath. 

Locked-in syndrome. A healthy mind left with absolutely no control over all voluntary muscles except the eyes. Prognosis? None.

Deal with it. 

“Can I see him?” Jon had stuttered out after the first dreadful seconds of shock had passed.

“You should wait until you're better.” she had retorted and put a gentle hand on his right, which had not been mangled. 

He would never admit it but she'd been right. 

After being discharged and at least well enough to hobble about Catelyn had agreed to take him to see Robb in hospital. She left him in front of the door to his room, stating that after her husbands death she 'couldn't stand it'.

Jon tried not to let it touch him, tried to block it out but failed upon seeing his brother propped up against starchy white pillows with his head straining to one side and a tube protruding from his neck. Feeling his knees buckle he leaned on his injured leg to harshly, causing pain to erupt and shoot up his side like an icy arrow and he couldn't stop a groan escaping his lips. 

The sudden sound caused Robbs gaze to shift, catching Jons eyes. They looked at each other for a long moment and Jon could see the raw emotion in his brothers look and felt his stomach knot at the thought that he wasn't able to vocalise them. 

Although nothing but silence stretched between the two brothers they shared the same pain although in different manifestations. 

Jon felt Robbs eyes wander along the red and pinkish marks the surgeons attempts to salvage what they could had left on his left arm and his hunched form from leaning on a crutch. He let out humorless laugh and shook his head 

“We're fucked, Robb.” he uttered with a bitter smile.

_ Blink. _

This time Jons chuckle was honest.

Days dragged on into weeks and although the doctors had made sure to keep his expectations close to non-existant but Jon kept visiting. He'd gotten his old job at the magazine back which gave his life much needed structure and he decided to share the feeling of not watching from the sidelines anymore with his brother. 

The nurses quickly got used to the bloke with the black curls and the brown messenger bag limping through the door like clockwork every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Robb made progress and when a soft spoken nurse told Jon he looked at her and just couldn't wipe the 'I told you so' off his fetatures. Robb breathed on his own and the brightness seemed to return, especially after he'd been taught how to control a screen keyboard with his eyes.

_ Go get laid. _

Perhaps they weren't as fucked as he thought.

  
  


 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always appreciated.


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